


Voice of the Goddess

by smallenoughtofit



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriages, Asexual Character, Badass Rey, Emotional Constipation, Emperor Kylo Ren, Fictional Religion & Theology, Kylo Ren/Rey - Freeform, Magic, Political Intrigue, Poor Dopheld Mitaka, Religion can be good, Slavery, Update as I go, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 21:31:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19028332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallenoughtofit/pseuds/smallenoughtofit
Summary: The warrior nuns of the Goddess Aeshi were the most skilled warriors anyone knew of, which was why he had been sent here: the new Emperor of the Core Kingdoms, sitting on the Crimson Throne from the High Seat in Coruscant, needed a bodyguard.Rey has lived her entire life as in the service of the Goddess Aeshi and has never considered anything but life as one of her devoted warrior nuns, but when she enters the palace of Emporer Kylo Ren as his bodyguard, she finds herself confronted with the one thing she never expected: doubt.





	1. Chapter 1

"Aeshi lifted up her fallen lover's spear and cradled the three women in her other hand. Turning to her father, she said, "I will wear no wedding crown. I swear here, before the throne of my Father, that I will touch no one and bear no children. These women, here, who risked their mortal lives to save that what was not mortal, will be mine instead. I will be like their mother and they will hear my voice and know my thoughts. As long as they remain untouched and give themselves over to no other, they will hear me and I will hear them always." 

\-- A translation of _The Song of the Lady Aeshi_ , taken from Gail Ackbar's translation of _The Epic of Treluta and the Lady Aeshi_

 

*****

 

Doph’held Mitaka rarely wondered why he had chosen to become an Imperial bureaucrat. Today, however, he was really starting to wonder why he hadn’t decided to stay in the house of Doph as a skilled slave. He’d only been freed to join the bureaucracy, which meant that he could marry and have children who would be Imperial citizens, rather than freemen, but as he climbed up the carved stone steps of the desert temple of Jakku, dedicated to the Goddess Aeshi, he wondered if it might have been a mistake.

The warrior nuns of the Goddess Aeshi were the most skilled warriors anyone knew of, which was why he had been sent here: the new Emperor of the Core Kingdoms, sitting on the Crimson Throne from the High Seat in Coruscant, needed a bodyguard. After the assassination of the Supreme Leader, the religious arm of the Empire, they had to keep the Emperor safe. He was now the sole head of the entire Empire after less than a decade on the Crimson Throne.

If an assassin managed to make it through the palace’s defenses, the entire empire could come crumbling down.

Mitaka kneeled down at the stone doorway, his eyes on the rock before him as figures stood up, out of the very stone, it seemed. He held his arms up on either side of his head, making sure the Imperial seal on his coat was visible.

“Why have you come to our door, man of the Core?” A woman’s clear voice said from ahead of him.

“I am Mitaka, Doph’held Mitaka, a scribe and messenger of his Empirical Excellency, Kylo Ren, Emperor of the Core Kingdoms, ruler from the Crimson Throne at the High Seat in Coruscant. His Excellency is also the Supreme Leader of the First Order and the Regent on the Iron Throne, waiting for the return of the Great Ye’edenza,” Mitaka enunciated slowly.

“Kylo Ren is both Emperor and Supreme Leader?” the same woman’s voice said.

“That is correct,” Mitaka said, not daring to look up.

“Rise, Mitaka. You have obviously come to beg the help of one of our warriors,” the woman said.

Mitaka stood, looking up into the face of the woman who had been speaking to. She was a gray-haired woman with her hair pulled into three buns, just like every other woman around her. The Nuns of Aeshi were known for the same identical hairstyle, to the point where the ancient reliefs in the deepest tombs in the castle showed them. The only thing that set this older woman apart was a delicate golden headpiece resting just on the edge on her hairline.

Mitaka bowed his head again. He was looking at the Tsi’ana, the high priestess of Aeshi, Goddess of excellence, skill, and dedication.  
“Come, young bureaucrat. Come find the woman who will protect your Emperor,” the Tsi’ana said, turning and leading the way inside the pitch-black opening into the temple.

Mitaka followed her because he had to, but he was filled with a sudden wish that he had never chosen life as a freeman. If he was still a slave, he could be quietly at his desk, looking over ledgers, rather than thousands of miles away, in the desert, surrounded by the most dangerous people in the known world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey travels back towards Coruscant, but they run into a little trouble on the way.
> 
> Rey isn't sure about these horse things.

"It is traditional that all Aeshian nuns will spend at least one year inside the temple of Jakku before she can earn the right to wear her hair in a single bun. Conversely, any devotee raised in Jakku must spend two years traveling outside the Jakkuu alongside an older nun."

  
\-- excerpted from the work of Ninna Rose of the Organa House, Alderaanian Historian, from her work _;A Complete History of Jakku's Aeshian Nuns from the Year 1115 to 3800_ , volume 2

 

******

 

Rey walked alongside the grasslander horses, trying to keep her attention on her surroundings, not on the animals. The imperial convoy had shown the good sense to leave such water-dependent animals behind at a grassland inn and hired sturdy desert asses and guide to approach the temple in Jakku but insisted in using their animals on the return journey to Coruscant.

Rey walked alongside them most of the time, although she had been given her own ass to carry her meager belongings and herself if need be. For most of the journey, however, she kept pace with the horses without difficulty. These grasslanders moved slowly, apparently in no hurry to bring this prized bodyguard to their emperor. Perhaps they were part of a conspiracy. If they kept an Aeshian nun as far away from their emperor as possibly while an attack took place, they had the highest chance of success.

Rey doubted it, though, as she looked up at the scribe, Mitaka. He seemed anxious but genuine. The pale-faced bureaucrat was just skittish, but not guilty. Usually, it could prove difficult to distinguish between them, since they both gave off a similar feeling, but she was almost sure that he was innocent. His anxiety decreased as he slept, but guilt usually grew with sleep. Rey stood watch with several guards before going to sleep herself late the first night. By that time, the soldiers had become less nervous around her. They weren't hostile the way that some groups of men tended to be around women like her. Instead, they were somewhat withdrawn and quiet, talking among themselves and letting her keep her silence.

Rey said virtually nothing for the entire journey. When she had a spare moment, she turned her mind towards the Goddess, letting the world around her fade into the flat, uniform, and unfocused state that allowed her to focus on the Goddess's presence. At those times, the instructions she'd received before she left returned to her. Rey turned them over and over in her mind, trying to discern anything more she could glean from them. She already knew some of what was to come, not from her own Revelation, but from the Tsi'ana.

"You will spend many years at the foot of the Crimson Throne," the Tsi'ana had told her before she departed, "but I cannot see who sits on it."

Whoever it would be, Rey would stand alongside the Crimson Throne as long as the Goddess Aeshi demanded.

 

Rey decided by the time they camped on the evening of the third day that, while the horses were unsuitable for the desert, they were superior to her human traveling companions. Mitaka was no great horseman and was adapted poorly for sleeping outside, eating around fires, and constant movement. He complained little, but she could see the way he winced at the uncouth soldiers, who were more boisterous by the third morning and downright jovial around their evening fire.

When Rey peeked into the Wisdom of the Goddess, she saw Mitaka's life in the house of Doph and understood him better. She knew nothing of the Doph family herself, but she could sense the pride, wealth, and competence in their attitude. They were fair but idle people. As Rey watched Mitaka across the fire, she sensed the burn left on his back by a particularly cruel second son in the Doph household.

 _Why am I protecting the emperor of a place where people can burn children with kindling sticks without consequences?_ Rey thought.

The image of chains flashed behind her eyes, fracturing like glass.

 _Please don't ask me to surrender your Voice to help this chain breaker, my Lady,_ Rey pleaded silently.

No man, no matter how noble, would be worth her ability to know the Goddess Aeshi. The only one who might convince her to give it up was the Goddess herself. She was an Aeshian Nun, proven worthy to wear her hair in three buns, which marked her as one who could receive Revelations, look into the infinite Wisdom of the Goddess, and hear the Voice of the Goddess.

Rey heard an animal shake its head, jostling the lead holding it to a tree.

In her mind, she suddenly saw six bandits calmly rise from the bushes around them, armed with long knives and clumsy wooden shields. Behind them, she saw another few, weaponless, ready to run between two trees, directly for the provisions. In her mind, they stood still and expressionless, as if they were soldiers waiting for an order.

"Bandits!" Rey shouted. Her voice, which none of the men had heard for three days, cut through the soldier's lively conversation. She grabbed her spear, leaping to her feet, and whirling around. She took three long strides and stabbed her spear into a bush, catching a bandit in the chest. His companion let out a scream, still processing her original shout and the sudden appearance of her spear.  
Behind her, Rey could hear the soldiers scrambling for their weapons, but Rey only focused on her own targets. She yanked her spear out of the man, turning to aim for his companion, who was several inches shorter and caught him in the neck. She knew he was done for before she heard the low gurgle of blood welling in his throat.

An image appeared in her mind, one of herself from behind, holding a spear and still with her hood up, as two heavy men rushed at her, armed with swords and weak wooden shields. At the same moment, she suddenly knew that the man behind her left side had a shield with a fault line in it.

Rey turned to face the men, who were still several feet away. She flipped her spear around, swinging it hard at the man with a working shield. Rey caught him at the temple with all her might, knocking him off balance and into his friend. She lifted one leg, kicking the other man in the shield just to the side of the fault with all her might. The shield shattered, breaking his forearm in the process and knocking both bandits to the ground.

Rey looked over at the soldiers who, in the minute that she'd been fighting, had finally drawn their weapons and were dealing with the other bandits. Rey jogged forward, using her spear to stab between the ribs of one of the bandits before she turned, catching one of the weaponless men as he tried to get to the horses. Rey cast her mind into the Goddess's Wisdom, asking how many were still alive.

She saw an image of the clearing they were in, empty and peaceful.

Rey lowered her spear, taking several deep breaths. She looked over her shoulder to check on the soldiers, but they were all standing and looked unharmed. Mitaka was there, too, a sword he barely knew how to use in his hands.

 _At least you tried,_ Rey thought, looking at the pale-faced scribe.

"Water," Rey said. She walked over to her ass, grabbing her waterskin and drinking from it. The horses were skittish from the action, and their riders had to walk over and soothe them, but the desert ass seemed mostly unbothered by what had happened. The stout animal just bent down to eat more grass and accepted Rey's pat on his neck.

Rey looked at the horse standing next to her, a female the color of hard desert clay, and then touched her nose. This was the creature that had noticed the intruders, giving her an extra second to prepare and listen for danger.

"Thank you," Rey said.

Yes, these horses would do nicely.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey arrives in the city of Coruscant

"A persistent breeze will move a mountain, but a momentary gust will only stir up dust."  
\-- _Corusketwa_ proverb

*****

 

The Tsi’ana had told her many things about Corelia and the lands she would travel through to reach it, but she had said nothing of the **_green_**. Two beautiful days passed in the shades forest roads, past fields that grew plants in varieties that Rey could hardly comprehend and through hours' worth of rolling hills.

The city of Coruscant itself was massive and louder than any place Rey had been in her entire life. It reminded her of a forge, but with all the chaos of a room full of children at the same time. It took all of Rey's training not to flinch at the nearly-overwhelming level of noise. All the activity wasn't something she could understand or process in any way. In fact, it was rather overwhelming. How was anyone supposed to think in this place? How could anyone sleep or breathe here, surrounded by so many carts, shouts, animals, and people?

Next to the road, someone opened what looked like a well, but let out an incredibly putrid smell. The woman dumped a bucket of waste inside, then shut the heavy wooden door behind her and turned away. Rey stared for a moment, then reached out to the Goddess.

_What is that?_

The answer came in the form of a memory she'd had as a child, traveling through some of the smaller cave systems at the Jakku temple. Those caves had been used as a way to test a child's connection to the Goddess since she could lead them out if she wanted and if they could hear her. These tunnels, however, seemed to take the waste out of the city and into some underwater caverns that let out to the sea.

 _Ingenious,_ Rey thought. She was finally pulled away from her thoughts by a tug on the reigns in her hand. The ass, which had done so well on the journey there, was impatiently trying to follow the horses. Apparently, it had decided that the horses knew the best way to water and rest and were determined to keep up.

Rey couldn't disagree. She smiled, tugging at her hood to make sure it was up still and followed after the creature, which plodded along with the rest of their group. She was the only one on foot, which she knew made her stick out slightly, but she had no interest in riding, even though the soldiers had bought a spare for her. her refusal to ride had, in some ways been beneficial because it allowed the soldiers to rotate animals, but it also marked her as a figure that was traveling with soldiers without being one of them.

Rey looked ahead, her heart leaping at the sight of a marble arch in the distance. She hadn't seen a satellite temple to the Goddess Aeshi in years. As a child, she'd gone on several trips to see the temples or to deal with business for the temple in Jakku, but now she would be here permanently. She'd probably live for years or decades visiting this temple whenever she needed to see the Goddess's shrine in person.

Now, though, she could enter a place where her sisters lived and rested. Every temple had at least one fully established Nun along with several nuns who were either wearing one bun or two. As Rey approached the temple, she saw a teenaged girl in the familiar dark gray dresses of a devotee, her hair flying loose around her shoulders, tied out of her face with a single ribbon. Watching her, Rey saw a wrinkled face with three buns, bending over a tiny infant in a stone crib.

 _So, you're going to look after children back in Jakku,_ Rey said thoughtfully. She watched the girl until she disappeared among the crowd of people approaching the goddess's temple or the marketplace on the otherwise of the main thoroughfare. When Rey glanced that way, she saw the spire of Navwanu's temple, with its spire and glass roof. Navwanu, the God of sun and economy, always had at least a statue, if not a full temple, in or near the marketplace. Considering the age of Coruscant, it was probably both.

The Aeshian temple, however, was not as grand as Navwanu's temple. It was practical, built of sturdy stone and without much adornment. Rey smiled to herself as she saw the iconic three arches at its entrance. All of the Goddess's temples had three arches, carved of either wood or stone, that every penitent had to walk through to enter the house of worship and approach the altar of the Goddess. Rey knew there were likely a few exits that open around the back, particularly if the nuns needed to leave quickly, but the only way the public to access the temple was through those arches.

The Coruscanti people had made a beautiful temple to the Goddess. The arches were high and carved out of what looked like white marble. Something flashed in the sunlight at the top of each arch and Rey realized the craftsmen had inlaid the arches with gold. Rey wondered, when she got closer, the patterns she would see in those arches. They were tiered, as they always had been in the ancient days, and Rey found herself becoming earnestly excited. Beyond those beautiful arches, nuns, accolades, and other priestesses waited inside for her. She had a welcome from Jakku for the women inside the temple and they would be excited to see her. Visits from a nun who wore the three buns and was fully initiated were rare.

As was custom, Rey began to angle herself towards the Goddess's temple so she could rest and greet the nuns first, before entering the palace.

“No, my Lady,” One of the soldiers said. Rey raised her eyebrows, looking up at Mitaka.

"You can't my Lady!" Mitaka said quickly. His voice almost squeaked in his hurry to politely and urgently stop her. Exhaling slowly, but keeping her exasperation off of her face, Rey turned.

"What is it?"

Blushing furiously, Mitaka stammered, "we can't stop. We have to go straight to the Citadel."

Rey looked over her shoulder at the arches, "I-"

"My Lady," Mitaka cut across her, his regret written all over his face, "but I was ordered to bring you straight to the Citadel."

Rey looked into his dark eyes for a moment. She knew he was telling the truth, but it still hurt, "fine."

"I truly am sorry, my Lady," Mitaka said shyly.

"I know you are, Mitaka," Rey said gently. She adjusted her hood and let her animal follow the others. When she passed the temple, she half-expected a reprimand from the Goddess or a warning but heard absolutely nothing, which felt almost worse.

The city became increasingly clean, opulent, and quiet as they walked closer and closer to the heart to the city. As they passed through one of several inner gates, which were used to control the flow of people through the city, they weren't stopped. Different guards stood on top of the gates, looking down at them, but none of the guards interacted with the people that walked through the gate. Two gates from the palace itself, they were finally stopped. A bearded man, wearing the gray uniforms of the City Guard, stepped forward to speak to Mitaka as three other guards stepped in front of the massive metal gate.

Mitaka leaned forward, pulling something from inside his jacket. The guard glanced at it, then jumped back and gestured them through without hesitation. Mitaka nodded back to the guard, one hand over his heart, and led the way into the very center of the city.

The metal gate lifted ahead of them and Rey watched it as they walked through it. The guards on and around the gate watched them with interest. Rey smiled to herself but kept her face hidden.

The walk into the palace was incredibly easy, especially since the guards recognized both Mitaka and the soldiers. As the group walked in, the Palance guards, dressed in charcoal gray, watched her. Rey could feel their efforts to see under her hood but kept her head hidden. She wanted to keep her face hidden so that she could blend in later. The Palace, made of ancient sandy stone, decorated with red designs, the same geometric and repetitive designs that were common in temples devoted to Ye'edenza.

Not surprising, considering that The Emperor was also the Regent of the Great Ye'edenza. She didn't let herself become distracted by the architecture; the palace was beautiful but dangerous. She wasn't going to get too comfortable. Her entire life was going to be devoted to protecting the Emperor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey meets Emperor Kylo Ren and is not sure how to feel about him

"There is an old legend from the old Hutt cults in the area that is now Tattooine, that to rape a _tseno_ would give the rapist the powers of that nun. While the archives of the nuns of Jakku are kept secret, they did allow me to peruse some of their legal records, which are meticulous. While there have been cases... nuns have been raped, no nuns have ever been excommunicated for this...  
The 53rd Tsi'ana, when asked about these cases, explained simply: virginity cannot be stolen."  


\-- excerpted from the work of Ninna Rose of the Organa House, Alderaanian Historian, from her work _A Complete History of Jakku's Aeshian Nuns from the Year 1115 to 3800_ , volume 3

*****

The Crimson Throne was a splendid piece.

It was high-backed with an ornate design inlaid with garnets and rubies into an incredibly well-designed, inlaid with scenes of wolves, birds of prey, and holly branches, all of which were symbols of the Coruscant Imperial House. In the past, Rey knew that Emperors in the house wore their own house colors along with the Imperial house, but Rey only saw the red, black, and silver of the Imperial house on the Emperor's clothing.

The soldiers and Mitaka immediately fell to their knees, faces to the immaculate red carpet, but Rey settled herself for taking a knee, which was customary for foreigners of rank. As a warrior nun of the Goddess Aeshi, she would only prostrate herself before the altars of the Lady Aeshi. To do anything else would be sacrilegious and tempting the anger of the Goddess herself.

The Iron Throne of the Supreme Leader, which had lived inside the throne room of the High Seat for more than thirty years, was gone. Rey cast her attention into the ever-present void of the Goddess’s wisdom and saw the Iron Throne, not the throne itself, but the Throne as it had appeared in the sketches of one of the books Rey had grown up reading in Jakku, placed in a temple that Rey knew belonged to Ye’edenza.

 _So the regent of the First Order has decided to stop trying to rule over the Coruscantan Empire, even though they are technically one and the same,_ Rey thought. The sight gave her hope in the future of both Coruscant and of the Emperor before her.

Certain fools might see it was a weakness, but it was both strategic and a sign of piety, whether real or performed. If Kylo Ren could separate the Iron and Crimson thrones, then if he decided to surrender his claim to one of them, it would be seen as a sign of his fervor, rather than a young emperor feeling himself too weak to rule from two places. It would also give him a strong card to play with various houses inside the empire since he could both offer the position of the imperial spouse _and_ the Supreme Leader.

At the thought of the imperial spouse, Rey’s vision was suddenly blocked by a flash of scarlet and bright silver. She stiffened, grabbing for her spear out of habit as her eyesight was blocked by storm clouds and the image of rain on a stream. At that sight, one that seemed more memory than a warning, Rey let go of her spear. The Lady Aeshi wasn’t warning her about an imminent danger. This was a message.

Innately, Rey knew that this vision was for her alone. She settled onto her knees, pressing her palms together and resting her forehead against them, which was a signal everyone understood: the Lady Aeshi was speaking. No one in the room made a move or sound. To interrupt the sacred communion between the Lady Aeshi and one of her nuns was foolish in the extreme.

She felt more than saw a restrained kiss and the sensation of arthritic hands turning worn book pages in a comfortable bedchamber, whether, in the past or the future, she couldn’t tell.

When the vision passed, Rey finally stood and met the eyes of the emperor, but did not answer the obvious question waiting for her there.

“Are you alright, my lady?” Mitaka asked nervously.

“Yes, I am,” Rey said, “Thank you, Doph’held Mitaka.”

Mitaka nodded and bowed, stepping away from her.

"Greetings, your Imperial Majesty. Thank you for calling me here," Rey said, bowing her head.

"Wa'itana le'Aeshi ke le'iTsiana, tseno," the Emporer said, bowing his head back. His voice was grave and formal as he wished the blessings of the Goddess Aeshi and the Tsiana upon her. Rey's eyebrow quirked as he called her _tseno_ , the word for the Aeshian nuns in the Ancient Tongue.

"Wa'itana le'Ikotu, le'Aeshi, ke le'iTsiana, Corusketwa-namin Ye'edenza," Rey replied, bowing in earnest. It was odd to put together both _Corusketwa_ , the ancient word for the people who were now the heart of the Coruscantan Empire, and _namin Ye-edenza_ , the official title for the Supreme Leader of the First Order. He was on the Crimson Throne, as Emporer of the Coruscantan Empire, but also the regent of the First Order, ruling in the place of the demigod Ye'edenza, who was fighting in the Underworld to defeat the Avatar of Death, Hetwanu. It was also unusual to invoke Ikotu, king of the Gods and the God of Agriculture.

"I hope my pronunciation wasn't too poor, My Lady," Emperor Ren said sheepishly.

"Not the worst I've heard, your Majesty. Coruscantans always soften the 'ts' in _Tsi'ana_ , but those 'oh' sounds are not Coruscantan, are they?" Rey said, inclining her head slightly.

Emperor Ren inclined his head, his black hair flopping into his eyes a bit, "no, my Lady. I know you in Jakku turn your 'o's practically into 'u's when speaking the Ancient Tongue, but my 'oh's are Alderaanian." when he moved his head, his silver crown stayed perfectly in place, which made Rey wonder if it was pinned in place. She wasn't sure how it could be since it was so loose and wavy. She felt like she should have been able to see any pins, since they would hold his hair in place at an odd spot, but it looked like it had just been placed on top of the black waves.

"Was your tutor from Alderaanian, then?" Rey asked, deciding _not_ to comment on the physics of his hair.

The corner of his mouth twitched, but his voice was level when he said, "no, my mother was."

Rey blinked. She'd known nothing about the mother of the Emperor. He'd inherited the throne from someone of another house, voted by the will of the Royal houses of the Coruscantan Empire as the previous King, Prim Hosnia, had left no direct descendants. When he mentioned his mother, Rey saw a flash of bright blue and tan, but couldn't understand why. She didn't know a royal house in Coruscant or a high house in Alderaan that had blue and tan as their colors.

"Before I make a fool of myself further," Emporer Ren said, drawing Rey out of her thoughts, "do you prefer "Lady" or _"Tseno"_?"

"Either, although you need not call me "my lady", your Majesty."

The Emperor frowned, "why?"

"If I am to be your guard, I need you to trust me. I can't be just a nun to you. If I am going to protect you, I have to be your shadow," Rey explained. Her fingers twitched on her spear nervously, but she kept her face neutral.

"I understand, yes. In that case, you should call me "Kylo" or "Lord"," Kylo Ren said, nodding thoughtfully.

Rey inclined her head, glad they understood each other.

"I am sorry you did not get a proper reception, but my advisors said that summoning an Aeshian nun so publically would look weak," Kylo Ren explained.

Rey looked around the room, "where are these advisors?"

"Elsewhere," Kylo Ren said. The corner of his mouth twitched, "I could not find any that deserved the honor of greeting you in person since they found your introduction such a sign of weakness."

Rey raised her eyebrows, "there was a time when every ruler would petition for a nun in their house. They were so desperate that they would come in person."

Kylo Ren's ears went red, "I cannot abandon the High Seat right now."

"And you thought it would make no difference," Rey added.

Ren's face went white, "I-" he changed his mind in the space of a heartbeat, "yes. If Lady Aeshi wanted to favor me with one of her warriors, my presence in Jakku wouldn't stay her one way or the other."

Behind her, Rey felt Mitaka's heart drop into his stomach. She forced herself not to smile and focused on the Emporer instead.

"You also didn't want to draw attention to my presence," Rey added.

"That, too," Kylo Ren said. He smiled slightly, which Rey found was a pleasant one. He chuckled, "you certainly prove your abilities, my lady."

Rey smiled back.

"I must ask another question: what are your thoughts on the state of the Lady Aeshi's temple?" Kylo Ren asked.

"I have no seen it," Rey said. She kept her voice casual, even as Kylo Ren's eyes snapped up to Mitaka and the guards.

"I was told you ordered that I come to the citadel immediately," Rey explained. She kept her voice neutral, especially since a face that she didn't recognize appeared in Mitaka's thoughts. So, _this_ tanned, dark-haired man was the one who ordered them to arrive right away.

Kylo Ren nodded and said, "well, it's been too long since I have gone and worshipped at the temple of the Lady Aeshi. We will go immediately. Mitaka, go alert the guards."

Rey blinked. She hadn't expected that from Lord Ren, which was unnerving for one reason: she could usually anticipate what anyone did. The last person she wanted to be unpredictable was the person she was supposed to be guarding.


End file.
